G’Kar is dead

Andreas Katsulas died on February 13 of lung cancer at the age of 59. Besides playing the One-Armed Man in the movie The Fugitive and making frequent appearances on Star Trek: The Next Generation, Katsulas was best known for playing the Narn Ambassador G’Kar on what was, in my opinion, one of the best SF television shows of all time, Babylon 5.

G’Kar was my second favorite character on the show after his nemesis, Londo Mollari. Whereas Londo’s character arc saw him starting out as a decadent and buffoonish oaf and then becoming a very dark and cunning character before finally acquiring wisdom and then sacrificing himself for the good of his people, G’Kar started out as an angry, violent, and arrogant character, out for vengeance for the Centauri occupation of his homeworld and, over the course of five seasons, evolved into a revered religious leader who had learned to put aside his hatred of his enemies. Through it all, G’Kar showed a wry sense of humor (and also got some of the best lines in the series). The central conflict between these representatives of two races at war, although not the primary plot, was always lurking right under the surface and drove many of the story arcs. How G’Kar and Londo finally came to a mutual respect, understanding, and something that bordered on being friendship produced some of the very best drama of the series. It wouldn’t have worked if Andreas Katsulas and Peter Jurasik (who played Londo) weren’t such accomplished actors. Katsulas, in particular, had to manage to pull this off under layers of makeup and prosthetics.

What is it with the cast of this series? First Richard Biggs (who played Dr. Stephen Franklin) died suddenly in 2004 at the young age of 44, and now Andreas Katsulas.